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The Curriculum

Shown below are the minimum requirements for medical (allopathic and osteopathic) and dental schools with the corresponding UNH course numbers in parentheses. These courses can be taken as part of a student's major requirements, as General Education requirements, as requirements for a minor, or as electives.

NOTE: The requirements for Physician Assistant, Physical Therapy, Podiatric Medicine, and other health professional programs can vary, and students interested in these programs are urged to review the respective health professions information sheet in order to formulate an appropriate curriculum, and contact individual schools for specific requirements.

  • INCO 403 Healthcare Professions Seminar
  • One year of Biology with lab (BIOL 411 and 412)
  • One year of Chemistry with lab (CHEM 403 and 404)
  • One year of Organic Chemistry with lab (CHEM 651/653 & 652/654 or, for CHEM/BCHEM majors: 547/549 and 548/550)
  • One year of Physics with lab (PHYS 401 and 402 or 407 and 408)
  • One calculus course (MATH 424a, 424b, or 425) and one statistics course (BIOL 528, PSYC 402, SOC 502, HHS 540, ADMN 420)*
  • One year of English (ENGL 401 plus 502 or 503) (ENGL 501 or 519 may be used as alternates)
  • One semester of Biochemistry (BCHM 658/659 or BCHM 751 and 752)

*Some schools may require a full year of calculus

AP Credit, though accepted by UNH, is not universally accepted by medical or dental schools. If you have placed out of one of the above courses, you will need to take additional upper level courses in that subject area.

Additional, Suggested Courses

For students majoring in non life sciences majors it may be useful to take one or two additional upper level science course. In addition to the courses listed above, one or more of the following courses, though not required, can be helpful in preparation for entrance exams, school interviews, and for medical or dental study in general.

Additional science courses:

  • ANSC 718 - Mammalian Physiology
  • ANSC 511-512 (an upper level physiology course is preferred)
  • ANSC 623 - Comparative Histology
  • BCHM/ANSC 702 Endocrinology
  • BIOL 604 Genetics
  • BIOL 605 The Cell/Developmental Biology
  • MICR 503 General Microbiology
  • ZOOL 625 Animal Physiology ZOOL 626 (Optional Lab)
  • ZOOL 518 Vertebrate Morphology

Additional health related courses:

  • ANTH 610 Medical Anth:Illness & Healing
  • ARTS 567 Sculpture (recommended for Predental students)
  • HMP 401 U.S. Health Care Systems
  • HMP 744 Ethical Issues in Health Mgmt/Medicine
  • CLAS 525 Greek and Latin Origins of Medical Terms
  • NURS 535 Death and Dying
  • SOC 635 Medical Sociology
  • SPAN (any course emphasizing conversational Spanish)
  • PHIL 660 Law, Medicine & Morals

Please keep in mind that the previous lists are only suggested courses, not required courses. If you are a good student with a competitive GPA (~3.5), you will be at no distinct disadvantage if you are unable to fit these courses into your schedule. However, if you have performed at the C level or below in one or more of the required science courses, your application might benefit if you were to take and do well in one or more of the above science courses.

The following is a passage from the American Association of Medical Colleges Medical School Admissions Requirements, 2006-2007

Advanced science coursework is not typically required by medical schools.  Students may choose to take upper-level science courses because of their own interests or undergraduate major requirements.  Taking additional science courses that duplicate the basic science material in the first two years of medical school is not recommended.  In fact, practicing physicians often recommend that, during the final years of college, premedical students take advantage of what might be their last opportunity for the study of non-science area (music, art, history, and literature) that might become avocational interests later in life.